“It is very exciting to be a pioneer in the effort to organize adjuncts in the Boston area,” said Doug Kierdorf, an adjunct professor in the History Department at Bentley University, who was quoted in the press release. “The problem for me and a lot of adjuncts is you never know if you’re going to have work. I think if most students knew the terms of our employment they would be appalled.”

Colleges and universities rely more on adjunct faculty but pay them far less than professors who work on staff and generally do not give them benefits. Adjunct faculty also typically do not have job security and, to make ends meet financially, end up teaching simultaneously at different colleges and universities or working other jobs unrelated to teaching.

A Bentley representative issued the following statement:

Bentley has received notice that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has filed a petition to be recognized as representing the adjuncts at Bentley. Currently Bentley is one of the few universities where adjuncts have representation on the Faculty Senate. This reflects the University’s view that our adjuncts are an integral part of the Bentley faculty. If this petition proceeds to an election, Bentley adjuncts will have the opportunity, after a full and fair discussion of the issues, to determine whether they want to be in a union. If the adjuncts vote to join the SEIU, Bentley will of course bargain in good faith over the terms and conditions of employment for unit members.

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